50 Tips for Insomniacs Like Me (11-20)
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There have been times when I have paced all night, completely wide awake and hardly able to shut my eyes. Other nights, I truly feel exhausted, but I can't get my body to fall asleep. As a ten year insomniac, I have discovered many tips to beating insomnia... some of them actually work! To see the last ten tips, click here. Here are today's ten tips to beating insomnia:
Actually try to sleep. There are times when I can feel my insomnia approaching. Hours before bedtime, I'm already worrying about the oncoming night. On those nights, I sometimes don't even bother trying to think, assuming that I won't be able to sleep anyways. Your worried mind isn't always correct. Sometimes if you try to sleep and keep trying, it will actually work!
This trick does not always work, but it never hurts to try.
Stretch before bed. If your body is relaxed, you will sleep better, so about half an hour before you go to bed, practice some basic stretching exercises. This will help ease your muscles that have been tightened from stress, and it will also relax your body and even curb some back and shoulder pain. Don't work yourself out to the point where your adrenaline and blood starts pounding. You want to relax your body, not work it up. Click here and here for two different websites with nighttime stretches available.
Take a hot bath or shower. Hot water also relaxes your tight muscles, so taking a bath about an hour before bedtime can help to relax your body and even make you sleepy before bed time. I've heard that some people prefer cold baths or showers, but in my opinion, they only tense you up. If I want to wake up in the morning, I'll take a cold shower. But it's up to you and what makes you tired.
Eat a light snack before bed. Eating something small will help to curb any nagging hunger that might keep you up or wake you up during the night. A perfect snack would be a small turkey sandwich. Turkey contains a substance called tryptophan that will actually help your body become sleepy. Other foods that carry small amounts of tryptophan are eggs and chicken.
Go to bed with damp hair. For some reason, when I go to bed with damp hair, I sleep better. Damp hair keeps my overall body temperature cool, which I think is what helps me sleep. If I go to bed with soaking wet hair, I'm too cold, but when I go to bed with dry hair, I'm often too hot. Taking a shower about forty minutes before bedtime (I have fairly long hair that takes a while to air dry), leaves my hair at the perfect dampness.
Keep an active lifestyle during the daytime. Truth is, couch potatoes are more likely to have insomnia than active people. Try to do something active every day, even on lazy weekend days. I'm not just talking about plain exercise. Go to the grocery store. Walk through the mall. Have a lunch with friends. Go on an evening walk. Keep your life active and happy and you'll most likely have an easier time falling asleep at night.
Avoid lights from bright screens. About thirty minutes before bedtime, turn off your phone, television, iTouch, iPod, and computer. The bright screens remind your mind of the brightness of morning and it will actually make you less tired! If you spend the last thirty minutes to an hour before bed using the low lighting of a lamp, your mind will begin to realize that it's bedtime.
Don't nap during the day. Not only are you giving your body rest during the middle of the day that will help you have more energy throughout the daytime -and nighttime- hours, you are also teaching your body that there isn't such thing as a nightly routine. You're basically getting your nights and days confused. While you suffer with insomnia, force yourself to abstain from any naps after about one o'clock in the afternoon.
Listen to soft music. For some people like me, the room needs to be completely silent in order for sleep to come. However, silence can actually keep some people from sleeping. Try to find some peaceful classical music, a recording of an acoustic guitar, or even an easy artist to listen to like Colbie Caillat or JJ Heller. Play the music on one of its lowest settings from a stereo until you drift gently off to sleep.
Drink warm milk. According to what I've read, milk also contains tryptophan, something that makes your body tired. Warm milk is soothing and gentle. It will curb any hunger you have, relax you a little, and possibly even soothe your mind and make you feel tired on the inside. Try drinking warm milk before bedtime and see if it works for you. I like vanilla steamers from Starbucks. They're sweet enough to taste better than plain milk, but they are plenty soothing.
Stay tuned until Thursday to get the next five tips for beating insomnia.
Actually try to sleep. There are times when I can feel my insomnia approaching. Hours before bedtime, I'm already worrying about the oncoming night. On those nights, I sometimes don't even bother trying to think, assuming that I won't be able to sleep anyways. Your worried mind isn't always correct. Sometimes if you try to sleep and keep trying, it will actually work!
This trick does not always work, but it never hurts to try.Stretch before bed. If your body is relaxed, you will sleep better, so about half an hour before you go to bed, practice some basic stretching exercises. This will help ease your muscles that have been tightened from stress, and it will also relax your body and even curb some back and shoulder pain. Don't work yourself out to the point where your adrenaline and blood starts pounding. You want to relax your body, not work it up. Click here and here for two different websites with nighttime stretches available.
Take a hot bath or shower. Hot water also relaxes your tight muscles, so taking a bath about an hour before bedtime can help to relax your body and even make you sleepy before bed time. I've heard that some people prefer cold baths or showers, but in my opinion, they only tense you up. If I want to wake up in the morning, I'll take a cold shower. But it's up to you and what makes you tired.
Eat a light snack before bed. Eating something small will help to curb any nagging hunger that might keep you up or wake you up during the night. A perfect snack would be a small turkey sandwich. Turkey contains a substance called tryptophan that will actually help your body become sleepy. Other foods that carry small amounts of tryptophan are eggs and chicken.
Go to bed with damp hair. For some reason, when I go to bed with damp hair, I sleep better. Damp hair keeps my overall body temperature cool, which I think is what helps me sleep. If I go to bed with soaking wet hair, I'm too cold, but when I go to bed with dry hair, I'm often too hot. Taking a shower about forty minutes before bedtime (I have fairly long hair that takes a while to air dry), leaves my hair at the perfect dampness.
Keep an active lifestyle during the daytime. Truth is, couch potatoes are more likely to have insomnia than active people. Try to do something active every day, even on lazy weekend days. I'm not just talking about plain exercise. Go to the grocery store. Walk through the mall. Have a lunch with friends. Go on an evening walk. Keep your life active and happy and you'll most likely have an easier time falling asleep at night.
Avoid lights from bright screens. About thirty minutes before bedtime, turn off your phone, television, iTouch, iPod, and computer. The bright screens remind your mind of the brightness of morning and it will actually make you less tired! If you spend the last thirty minutes to an hour before bed using the low lighting of a lamp, your mind will begin to realize that it's bedtime.Don't nap during the day. Not only are you giving your body rest during the middle of the day that will help you have more energy throughout the daytime -and nighttime- hours, you are also teaching your body that there isn't such thing as a nightly routine. You're basically getting your nights and days confused. While you suffer with insomnia, force yourself to abstain from any naps after about one o'clock in the afternoon.
Listen to soft music. For some people like me, the room needs to be completely silent in order for sleep to come. However, silence can actually keep some people from sleeping. Try to find some peaceful classical music, a recording of an acoustic guitar, or even an easy artist to listen to like Colbie Caillat or JJ Heller. Play the music on one of its lowest settings from a stereo until you drift gently off to sleep.
Drink warm milk. According to what I've read, milk also contains tryptophan, something that makes your body tired. Warm milk is soothing and gentle. It will curb any hunger you have, relax you a little, and possibly even soothe your mind and make you feel tired on the inside. Try drinking warm milk before bedtime and see if it works for you. I like vanilla steamers from Starbucks. They're sweet enough to taste better than plain milk, but they are plenty soothing.
Stay tuned until Thursday to get the next five tips for beating insomnia.
Tags: colbie caillat, curing insomnia, insomnia, insomniacs, itouch, jj heller, lcd screen, starbucks, stretches before bed, stretching exercise, tryptophan, vanilla steamer, yoga
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